Manchester United have finally ended their summer-long pursuit of Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal – and are instead focusing their attention on Dutch duo Kevin Strootman and Nigel De Jong.

Ongoing concerns over Vidal’s knee problem, following a pre-World Cup operation, have forced United to concede defeat in their chase for the £40million ace.

They will instead look to sign former Manchester City player De Jong from AC Milan for £8million as a short-term solution to their midfield problems.

And Roma midfielder Strootman – currently recovering from a cruciate ligament injury which forced him to miss the World Cup – is likely to be Louis van Gaal’s number one target come the January transfer window.